Assessing the relationship between attitudes toward chemistry, chemistry self-efficacy beliefs, and career aspirations of undergraduate chemistry students

Abstract

Science education is of profound importance in the society today, hence a great deal of effort is being put on research in order to provide interventions aimed at enhancing the quality of teaching and learning of science courses in both basic and higher institutions of learning. Most of the research activities have tried to establish connection between various variables such as learners’ attitudes toward science subjects, self-efficacy beliefs and career aspirations, deemed to affect the quality of science education. Most of these research has focused on science education in secondary school thereby presenting an opportunity for more of such studies focused on tertiary learning institutions. This study therefore seeks to investigate potential associations between undergraduate students’ attitudes toward chemistry, their self-efficacy beliefs, career aspirations and learning outcomes in three countries. The study also aims at developing various interventions that will be informed by the findings of the questionnaire surveys and interviews.